Ordered to Flee (Seeking Collection and Recommendations)

Seeing Qifeng leave, Kakashi's eyes flickered.

"Stop them!"

After shouting, he gave chase after Kusaribe Yamato.

But Tsukishiro Shin'ya was hot on his heels.

Compared to retrieving the intel, his greater goal now was to kill Kakashi, to nip Konoha's genius ninja in the bud. Whether this mission succeeded or failed, he wouldn't face punishment.

The other two, however, weren't so lucky.

Ito Ki was a Sensory Ninja, but at least he was a chunin, decent enough in strength. Imai Kuriyama, though, was in a more dangerous spot.

As a Medical Ninja, Imai Kuriyama's direct combat ability was mediocre at best, and now, facing a Mist Ninja skilled in slaughter, he could suffer a fatal wound at any moment.

Hearing Kakashi's words, Tsukishiro Shin'ya's mind turned, grasping the implication.

"Kill him—the intel's on him!"

Then he swung his blade in pursuit, forcing Kakashi to turn and defend.

Thank you so much, Qifeng, Kakashi thought, feeling helpless.

He ran at full speed.

"Water Release: Water Surge!"

Splash!

A torrent of water surged forth in an instant, like a flood crashing down.

"Earth Release: Earth Wall!"

Feeling the water rushing at his back, he knew he couldn't outrun it—he hadn't mastered any escape-type jutsu.

He spun around, formed Hand Seals, and slammed his palms on the ground.

Rumble!

A wall of earth rose with a roar, solidly bearing the water's impact, unmoving.

But he didn't celebrate. Instead, he pushed off his feet and retreated from the wall.

Sure enough, the next second.

Shing!

A blade sliced through the earth wall, its gleaming edge a testament to the weapon's sharpness.

Then a figure burst through, charging straight at him.

Qifeng's expression turned grim. With a flick of his wrist, a kunai dropped into his hand, and he met the blade head-on.

Clang!

Sparks flew, metal rang sharp.

Chunin!

In that instant, both of them gauged each other's strength.

Pressing against the blades, their bodies closed in from momentum. Kusaribe Yamato's face twisted with rage. "Where do you think you're running?"

Qifeng flashed a simple grin. "Wasn't trying to run. But the dead deserve respect. How about you pick another target? That silver-haired brat back there is Hatake Kakashi, son of Konoha White Fang, Hatake Sakumo. Killing him would be a big feather in your cap."

Just a suggestion.

With Kakashi's strength, even if he couldn't win, running shouldn't be too hard.

He was just a Corpse Collector, wanting to quietly do his job. No need to hound him relentlessly, right?

"Oh?" Kusaribe Yamato loosened his grip.

An opening!

Qifeng had spent his time in the morgue without taking missions, but Miura Ikkō's Experience Card had given him some know-how. Even a little was enough to handle a chunin.

He suddenly put force into the hand holding the kunai, creating a sliver of space.

"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"

A scorching red fireball shot from his mouth, straight at Kusaribe Yamato.

They were so close that Kusaribe Yamato had almost no time to react. In his horrified gaze, the fireball grew larger, the temperature rising.

But Mist Ninja, born from the Bloody Mist under brutal policies, had dueling ingrained in them from their entire time at the Ninja Academy. Knowing he couldn't dodge, he abandoned evasion entirely, charging into the fireball instead of retreating!

Gritting his teeth, he exploded with power from his feet, rushing through the flames. The icy blade shot out from the fire, reeking of scorched flesh and burnt meat, straight at Qifeng's face.

Shing!

The sharp blade, carrying the heat of the flames, cleaved Qifeng in two.

Just as Kusaribe Yamato felt a surge of triumph.

Poof!

Qifeng's severed body burst into smoke, turning into two halves of a log.

Substitution Technique.

Bam—

Kusaribe Yamato hit the ground hard, stirring up a cloud of dust, his face twisted with unwillingness.

"Whew—" Qifeng patted his chest, looking relieved as he slowly emerged from behind a nearby tree.

"I just wanted to collect the body in peace. Why make it so difficult?"

He stepped closer, nudging Kusaribe Yamato's corpse with his toe to confirm he was truly dead, then plopped down beside him and wiped the fine sweat from his brow.

The guy's strength wasn't bad, but he was way too easily rattled by words.

Probably had something to do with Kirigakure's customs.

Mist Ninja from Kirigakure were ruthless and tight-lipped—they attacked on sight, treating everyone around them as potential enemies, with no room for conversation.

Of course, Qifeng was also good at seizing opportunities. Through brief contact, he'd gotten a read on his opponent's personality and used the Substitution Technique in time to dodge.

If it'd been a less experienced ninja, they might've been taken out instead.

He steadied his breathing.

Pulling out a Sealing Scroll he'd prepared, he sealed Kusaribe Yamato's corpse inside.

After all, a chunin was a Green Corpse—what he got from it would definitely be better than a White Corpse.

He also cleaned up the traces on the ground.

Not that there was much to clean; the residual water from the earlier Water Surge had already washed everything away.

Done with that.

Qifeng turned and ran back toward where Kakashi and the others were.

He didn't reveal himself directly, instead hiding in the shadows to observe quietly.

But he couldn't stay hidden for long.

Kakashi was still locked in a stalemate with Tsukishiro Shin'ya—it'd probably take a while for either to win.

Imai Kuriyama, though, wasn't so lucky. She was covered in blood, on the verge of death at any moment.

Qifeng seized the chance. At the right moment, he formed hand seals, and a surging wave of flames swept out like a tide, covering the sky and earth.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball!"

A B-rank fire jutsu—it drained a huge amount of his Chakra in an instant.

But the power was impressive.

The Mist Ninja fighting Imai Kuriyama didn't notice in time and was instantly engulfed in the sea of fire, beyond saving.

At the same time, Qifeng flashed to Imai Kuriyama's side and caught her as she wobbled.

"You okay?"

No answer—she'd passed out cold.

"You?!"

Seeing Qifeng return, Tsukishiro Shin'ya's expression shifted. His piercing gaze was like a coiled viper ready to strike. He forced Kakashi back with one blow and landed on a tree branch.

"Where's Yamato?" Tsukishiro Shin'ya demanded, his voice low.

Qifeng put on a simple, honest face. "That Mist Ninja? I told him there's a great barbecue place. Right now... he's probably eating, right?"

"..."

Barbecue?

Who the hell did he think he was fooling?!

"Qifeng, take Kuriyama and go. We can handle things here," Kakashi said, taking a moment to speak.

The only thing distracting him before was Imai Kuriyama. Ito Ki wasn't winning, but he wasn't about to lose easily either.

Just like Tsukishiro Shin'ya was thrilled to fight Kakashi, Kakashi had been holding back his own excitement, always putting the mission first.

Now that the mission was no longer an issue, he could finally stop suppressing his urges.

Go?

Qifeng had no objections. If it weren't for the fact that abandoning a comrade looked bad, he'd have left ages ago.

He glanced at the Mist Ninja's corpse, about to be burned to ash, feeling a bit of regret and hesitation.

But soon, he pushed those feelings aside.

Hoisting Imai Kuriyama into his arms, he tossed out, "Don't worry about us. You two keep at it."

Without a shred of reluctance or concern, he flashed away and ran.

This was retreating on orders.

A ninja follows orders!